A state Catholic Conference is a Church institution which represents the bishops (and their dioceses) and allows for the coordination of the concerns of the Church in state public policymaking.

The California Catholic Conference staff communicates the California bishops' public policy priorities to the members of the legislative and administration branches of state governments and works cooperatively with other religious and secular agencies.

Thirty-four other states have Catholic Conferences. The executive directors of the various Conferences are members of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors (NASCCD ) which maintains a website with links to the other state Catholic conferences.

Our Church is made up of nearly 11 million Catholics in California representing 29 percent of the entire population in the state. They belong to 1,073 parishes located in 12 (arch) dioceses . They are served by 3,620 priests, 24 bishops, and two Archbishops—one of whom is a Cardinal.

The Catholic Church is the largest private provider of healthcare, social services and education in the state of California. Among those providers are:

• 41 Catholic hospitals, which annually assist more than 5 million patients;
• 36 Catholic healthcare centers, which annually assist 300,000 individuals;
• 13 colleges and universities, which enroll 45,500 students;
• 115 Catholic high schools, which serve 76,680 students;
• 586 Catholic elementary schools, which serve 165,282 children; and
• 181 special centers for social service, which annually serve 4.5 million people of various ethnicity, social status and religion.

(Statistics taken from the Official Catholic Directory, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 2006.)

About the California Catholic Conference PDF Brochure

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